


Mud.

by moonorchiids



Series: The Pallor Kingdom [5]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: AND THEN I CRIED, Careful you'll cut yourself on that edge, ELDERBUG NOOOOOO, Edgy, Gen, I'm in pajamas and drinking chocolate milk, The Knight's named Erios, The Radiance has the big gayyyy, This does not reflect that, fucking sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23079808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonorchiids/pseuds/moonorchiids
Summary: Water touches dirt. Dirt isn't dirt after that. It's mud.(alt title: Myla 2; the electric boogaloo)
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: The Pallor Kingdom [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627558
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Mud.

**Author's Note:**

> Im sad now because hbngfreefecvd

Every now and then, Erios would return to Dirtmouth. Sometimes he'd bring things back for it's residents, like an interesting rock for Sly that he'd lifted from Deepnest, some poor fellow's cloak for Bretta (much to her disproportionate amounts of joy, which thoroughly freaked him out), a set of feather-like spines from Greenpath for Iselda and Cornifer, or in Elderbug's case, a flower. The old coot, perhaps, needed it most; he was a lonely fellow, and pessimistic too.

Erios thought he'd like it. It was bright and delicate, shiny and silver, with dapples of orange, which contrasted the Elderbug's cloak (Erios had fashion sense, being fair). The elder seemed to like things such as that. Quaint things.

Erios favored the haggardly man over most residents of Dirtmouth, him being a sort of father figure to Erios. The fellow didn't make him buy rancid eggs, probably from aspids, he wasn't weirdly obsessed like Bretta, and he was less easy to tick off than Iselda. There was a general air of peace about him, which he appreciated. Plus, he stood by the bench; it's not that Erios had a choice to like him or not. If he didn't, it's not like he could voice it anyways.

Once, as Erios returned from Greenpath via Stag, to tour the town and rest after his last battle, something was off.

The air was on edge, quiet even for Dirtmouth. Everyone's lights were out. Something was _wrong._

Elderbug was the only one outside, with his back turned to the bench.

Erios shuddered, but turned to listen to the fellow's ramblings, staring expectantly at him. 

But it wasn't him, really.

Erios's heart sunk when the elder turned.

His eyes replaced by orange voids, the flower letting out fumes of the Infection. Bright boils covered the elder's chest area, weighing him down into a hunched figure. His typical frown was changed to, at most, a dead, neutral expression, hidden by a bouquet of the wretched flowers and cysts pouring out and seemingly having broken his jaw.

And worse, he was posed to attack.

Erios dodged, simultaneously cutting the poor elderly fellow, which popped the boils, drenching his nail in orange. He then swiftly shoved his weapon through Elderbug's back, ripping it out again moments later. Orange flooded the ground, with Erios looking on in awe and horror.

Then, a deep sadness...

Then rage and self-hate.

How could he? He'd given him the disease himself...

He stared at Elderbug's distorted form. Only his cloak and his king-forsaken flower

Erios went silent, watching the village lights slowly return...

He crouched beside the Elder's corpse, taking the cloak off his shoulders. He wrapped it around himself. It was much too big, dragging behind him, and stained in copious amounts of orange fluid.

And you want to know what happened to that wretched flower?

He shredded it.


End file.
